Spring break

Well, I'm not in college anymore (please don't ask how long ago I graduated...), but Spring Break was in full swing today at Poipu. There wasn't a parking spot in sight, so I depended upon the kindness of my friend who lives nearby: I parked in her drive and she gave me a lift to the beach. Winner!

And saw two octopuses. Yay. They are hard to see, so you may doubt me, but you'll learn never to doubt the Octosnoop!

 Yes, there really were octopuses in these dens. Showing how smart they are, they stayed INSIDE, which was a good idea because all kinds of people from other states were standing around and walking on the reef! I used to get really angry and express my opinion when we lived on Oahu: but that was a protected reef. So here, I usually just feel bad for the animals and let people do more or less what they want..

I was very happy to see these, even if only a part of them. Because octopuses, being smart, avoid being seen and/or stepped on by people. They have better things to do.

 Spanish Dancer, resting on a weedy rock.

 There's a crab in the Top shell. Drat! So I had to put it back down. These are really lovely shells! The pearly white inside and the swirly colors. I think if you click on the photo, it will enlarge.

 For Randy: see the white mouth? It's a white mouth moray, hiding between two rocks.

 The Snowflake Moray. Look for the cool little yellow nostrils.

 Abudefduf. This is a fresh looking one. Somewhat different colors than most.

 My fave puffer: the Ambon Puffer! Look at all those dots and lines. Notice that the lines on the bottom half of its face are different colors than the top half. And there's a bit of the pretty electric blue fin underneath. Just perfection, I'm thinking. And that's not even mentioning the green eyes.

 This seal apparently wasn't worried about the rip currents. I didn't worry either. ( I have been reading Isaiah the prophet: Fear not, for I am with you!) I was more careful about all those swimmers lollygagging about in the water. I mean, if you're in the water, why not swim and look at all of God's cool creations?!!

Female Trunk Fish. And above it, the spines of the blue spined unicorn fish. I have NEVER had them cause me any trouble, but I have heard they can hurt you with those spines on that tail.

 And possibly the fastest fish on the reef: the Brighteye Chromis! Quite small and quite lovely. They peek up at you, as if begging you not to pester them.

 Can you see the Devil Scorpion Fish right away, above? If you can't go to youtube and search for octopigirl7...there's a video. Mostly I spot them because they move. This one was about 1 foot away from the octo-den. Later, when I came back to see if the octopus was out of its den, I couldn't see the scorpion fish anymore. Doesn't mean it wasn't there, just that I couldn't see it. When they are still, they are really well camouflaged. The other way to spot them is when they have their mouths open. You can see the line of the mouth.

 This crab (yellow eyes on the left) had not only appropriated a cowry shell for its home, but another shell which I cannot currently remember the name of! And it had these cool pale orange strings flowing off of the shell.

The oft seen resident Leaf Fish. Still hanging on. I love this ambush predator. It must find a lot of food here in the shallows, because I am often able to find it.

Pencil urchins.

Male trunk fish.

Pinktail Durgon swimming away from me as they often do. And the Hawaiian Hog Fish at the lower right.

I think these are Sergeant Major fish eggs. There are many Sergeant Major fish around this area, and they fend off other fish when the other fish get near. So I think they are protecting eggs. I wonder what kind of glue is needed to keep them adhered to the rock?!

I would like to thank God for not only the wonderful swim, but also for the fact that my friend feels better and I got a good email from work that shows the book we have been working on has finally gone to the printer! Hurray!